Letter opener



March 1 4 R. s. KRAUSE ET AL LETTER OPENER Original Filed May 11, 1949 Patented Mar. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LETTER OPENER Richard S. Krause and Ernest H. Seibert, Chicage, 11]., assignors to Autopoint Company,

Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application May 11, 1949, Serial No. 92,674. Divided and this application August 11,1950, Serial No. 178,968

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a novel letter opener and especially to a novel handle construction and assembly and to a novel means and manner of mounting the opener blade in an end of the handle. This application is a division of our co -pending application Serial No. 92,674, filed May 11, 1949.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision in a letter opener assembly of a novel opener blade having its shank end slotted to provide spaced bifurcations adapted to be rece'ived and anchored in the slotted end of a handle by means of an expansible member which spreads these bifurcations and locks them in position.

Another important object of the present invention is the provision of a novel handle formed or molded in one piece and cored in such manner as to receive and support the shank end of the opener blade.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novel means and manner of rigidly and securely mounting the shank end of the letter opener or blade in the handle whereby the blade is rigidly and permanently anchored in the handle.

In the disclosed embodiment the anchoring means comprises a two-part expanding rivet having a female part received in aligned openings in the handle and shank end of the blade and a male part which is forced into the female part to thereby distort and expand the latter to securely lock and anchor the parts of the rivet and the opener blade in the handle.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efiiciency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while there is shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change, and comprehends other details, arrangements of parts, features and constructions without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the novel letter opener of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the novel letter opener.

Fig. 3 is a View, part in side elevation and part in vertical cross section, the section being taken in a plane represented by the line 3'-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal cross section taken in a plane represented by the line 4'4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view invertical cross section taken in a plane represented by the line 5-5 of Fi 3. x

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the shank end of the letter opener 0r blade. 7 v

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawing and to the novel embodiment therein selected to illustrate the invention, there is disclosed a letter opener assembly comprising a handle I, a letter opener or blade '2 and a magnifying lens 3, the latter being slidably mounted within the handle whereby it may be extended or withdrawn for use or retracted into the handle when not in use. r

The handle l is formed integral and longitudinally cored at 4 throughout the greater portion of its length for the reception of the magnifying lens 3. The handle is also longitudinally and transversely slotted at 5 to conformably receive the shank or supporting end 6 of the blade and provided with a transverse opening 1 for the reception of a two-part rivet adapted to project through said opening I, and an aligned opening 8 in the shank 6 of the blade or opener. As shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, the rivet consists of a male part 9 and a female part II each provided with an enlarged head l2 conformably received in a countersunk opening in the upper and lower surface of the handle I.

In order to lock the shank 6 of the blade 2 in rigid anchored position, this shank is longitudinally slotted at l3 and which slot is aligned with the opening 8 therein for the female part II whereby when the male part 9 of the rivet is forced into the opening H! of the female part of the rivet, the cylindrical wall of the latter is distorted or deformed sufllciently to expand or spread the bifurcations l5 of the shank (see dotted line position in Fig. 6) sufficiently to lock them against the adjacent and shouldered surfaces |6 provided within the handle I. As more clearly shown in Fig. 5, when so assembled the bifurcations [5 of the shank are supported between spaced lower and upper embossments or lugs I1 and i8 formed within the hollow of the handle, and along the upper and lower edge or lip of the handle where the blade emerges.

In the assembly of the handle, the cylindrical portion of the female part H of the rivet is expanded when the male part 9 is forced into the assembled position shown in Figs. 3 and 5, whereby to distort the bifurcations l5 of the shank 6 3 of the blade or opener 2 and lock the blade rigidly in assembled relation.

From the above description and the disclosure in the drawing, it will be readily apparent that the present invention comprehends the provision of a novel letter opener and in the novel means and manner of rigidly mounting and anchoring the opener or blade in the handle of the assembly.

Having thus disclosed the invention, we claim:

1. In a letter opener, a molded handle having a slot formed in one end with an internal shoulder defining the opposite sides of the slot, a blade having a shank at one end adapted to be received in the slot, said shank having an opening therethrough and a longitudinally extending slot aligned with the opening and the handle having an opening extending transversely therethrough and aligned with the opening in the shank, opposed lugs in the slotted end of the handle spaced apart an amount sufficient to conformably receive therebetween the shank of the blade, and a rivet including a male part inserted into the opening in the handle from one side thereof and a female part inserted into the opening in the handle from the other side thereof and projected through the opening in the shank, said female part being adapted to receive the end of the male part and be expanded thereby whereby the expanded part spreads the slotted shank and locks the shank against the internal shoulders and the blade in fixed position in the handle.

2. In a letter opener, an opener blade having a shank at one end, a one-piece handle slotted at one end for receiving the shank, said shank being longitudinally slotted to providespaced projections and having an opening therethrough,

'4 and the opposite sides of the handle provided with aligned openings adapted to register with the opening in the shank, the slotted end of the handle having opposed upper and lower embossments spaced apart an amount sufficient to conformably receive therebetween the spaced projections of the shank and retain them against vertical movement and spaced surfaces on the interior of the handle against which the outer edges of the spaced projections of the shank are forced and held thereby in looking engagement with the handle, and a rivet comprising a female part inserted into the aligned openings and a male part which when forced into the female part expands the latter and causes it to spread the spaced projections of the shank and force its outer edges into locking engagement with the interior of the handle whereby the blade is held rigid in the handle.

RICHARD S. KRAUSE. ERNEST H. SEIBERT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 366,432 Schwab July 12, 1887 639,069 Lovell Dec. 12, 1899 902,387 Fegley Oct. 27, 1908 1,967,479 Platts July 24, 1934 1,993,170 Havener Mar. 5, 1935 2,154,012 Rhodes Apr. 11, 1939 2,248,140 Trollen July 8, 1941 2,375,751 Camplin et al. May 15, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 119,403 Great Britain Oct. 3, 1918 

